Oklahoma names Roger Denny new AD, replacing legendary Joe Castiglione
Published:
Oklahoma launched a new era of Sooners sports while officially closing a legendary one, announcing the hiring of Roger Denny as its 12th athletic director on Friday.
Denny comes to Norman from the Big Ten and Illinois, where he served as the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer. Earlier on Friday, ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported that Oklahoma was targeting Denny for the job and that a deal was expected to be finished “in the upcoming days.”
It didn’t take nearly that long, as it turned out, with Oklahoma making it official later in the day.
With Denny’s hiring comes the end of a golden era overseen by longtime Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione, who served in that role for 28 years. Castiglione had already announced last July that he was set to retire from his longtime post after the school year while transitioning to athletic director emeritus. With the man known as “Joe C” leading the OU athletic department, the Sooners captured a whopping 26 national titles across all sports as well as 117 conference titles while making the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC.
Denny has a unique background as a corporate attorney to go with his experience in athletics at Illinois. He was picked to replace Castiglione at Oklahoma after a national search that was conducted by a 12-member committee that represented stakeholders spanning the Oklahoma community.
“I want to thank the OU Board of Regents, President (Joseph) Harroz and the search committee for their confidence and the thoughtful process that brought us together,” Denny said in a statement. “Oklahoma has a proud tradition in college athletics, and I am honored to join a university that competes with purpose and pride.”
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
